Oh, that Voodoo that you do

The drumming was like a heart beating as West African women wearing cowrie shells and beads writhed before a carved fetish. A knife–wielding dancer with a chalk–whitened face performed intricate steps to honor the python spirit.

The 10–day Benin Voodoo Festival ended Wednesday with a final celebration of ancestor and spirit worship. American visitors of African descent were on hand at this former slave port in Benin to discover their ancestors' practices. Amid the singing, drumming and praying, many also contemplated roots ripped asunder.